


Two of a Kind

by CloversDreams



Category: Noblesse (Manhwa)
Genre: Established Relationship, Found Family, M-21 reluctantly gets a pet, M/M, Mild Language, Multi, because they deserve it, except be the dad he is, just an average day with the fam, more fluff for the gang, potential manga spoilers for anime onlys (mentioned in begin note), the fam will continue to grow, theres nothing Franken can do about it, they’re animated now!! so exciting!!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-11
Updated: 2020-11-11
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:14:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,190
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27508174
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CloversDreams/pseuds/CloversDreams
Summary: “Hey, M! Welcome back!” Tao exclaimed with an energetic wave. He set his laptop onto the nearby coffee table, evidently pausing whatever he’d been working on a moment ago. It looked like he was about to say something else but his gaze shifted to something behind M-21 and he raised a curious eyebrow in his direction instead.“Why are you covered in dirt? You look like you went outside and rolled around in mud. And, uh…” Takeo leaned to the side so he could see past him as well. He scrunched his face then asked, “Are you aware that there’s quite a large gray wolf behind you?”“She’s average size actually.” M-21 grumbled. He walked over to the couch and plopped down right in the middle of the pair. Then he leaned his head back against it and explained, “I tried to get her to leave me alone, but she followed me home. I don’t even know where she came from.”
Relationships: M-21/Takeo/Tao (Noblesse)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 87





	Two of a Kind

**Author's Note:**

> For those that are anime only: Contains spoilers about M-21’s true power, which I was surprised to see touched upon in episode 6 dfghgfd

M-21 was almost done with his final perimeter check of the evening. He always made sure to go around the entire block twice because one could never be too careful. Afterwards, he’d head back inside for some much-needed relaxation. Or something similar to it depending on how energetic everyone was this evening. Either way, he was looking forward to getting back.

All of a sudden the little hairs on the back of his neck stood on end and then his entire being was alert. The wolf blood within him started to boil and his claws itched to be extended in preparation for a fight. There was no doubt about it, M-21 was being followed. If he wasn’t careful, he’d lead whoever it was right home and to the people he wanted to protect most. No, not today. This pursuer would get what was coming to them as soon as he found a private enough spot.

M-21 picked up the pace of his stride. He didn’t quite jog, but it was a brisk walk. It was the only thing he could think of to hurry up yet not give away the fact that he knew he was being watched. He sniffed the air then cursed silently. Of course his pursuer was downwind of him. That was smart. They must’ve done their research beforehand, which meant that his ability to shift forms wouldn’t come as a surprise and give him an advantage during their inevitable altercation.

He’d really settled into his life here. It was full of so much love from familial, for those that took him in and the ones who ended up being like his siblings, to romantic, for the two that he’d given his heart. He was grateful for the amounts of unabashed affection he’d been shown. This was the kind of happy life he never thought he’d be able to have. Being the failed experiment that he was– no, he was _more_ than that. Those that gave him their selfless affection saw him as human and that’s an expectation he’d live up to.

To that end, he’d do anything necessary to protect those dear to him, those select few who showed him what it was to truly be loved and part of a family unit. It was a debt he could never truly repay, but he’d do his best to try. That included fighting a foe of unknown strength in a narrow alley without calling for backup. Not that he even had his phone or earbud. Tao would so gripe about that when he found out.

Finally, M-21 happened upon an empty alley that was perfect for just what he needed. He walked into it then stopped abruptly and spun around. The first thing he saw was a pair of amber eyes that reflected the moonlight menacingly. They launched at him without warning then all he saw was claws and fangs.

Realization struck him and M-21’s eyes widened as he held up his arms to block the attack and exclaimed, “Shit!”

*  
  


“I’m back,” M-21 sighed as he walked into the living room. The way that both Tao and Takeo turned towards him and smiled was so comforting it was a bit ridiculous. It was still hard to believe that they’d grown to care for him in the way they did. Some nights when he was feeling particularly restless, he’d roll over and watch how peaceful the two of them were as they slept. Knowing they’d be there with carefree smiles upon their faces when he woke up the next morning warmed him to the core and allowed him to relax enough to get rest as well.

His life really was so much better having met the two of them. He didn’t tell them that nearly enough. M-21 made a mental note that he should make the effort to. Although, it was difficult to find a moment to do such when they were always dragging him into some nonsense. And yet even with all the ridiculous and easily avoidable antics, he wouldn’t trade either of them for anything.

“Hey, M! Welcome back!” Tao exclaimed with an energetic wave. He set his laptop onto the nearby coffee table, evidently pausing whatever he’d been working on a moment ago. It looked like he was about to say something else but his gaze shifted to something behind M-21 and he raised a curious eyebrow in his direction instead.

“Why are you covered in dirt? You look like you went outside and rolled around in mud. And, uh…” Takeo leaned to the side so he could see past him as well. He scrunched his face then asked, “Are you aware that there’s quite a large gray wolf behind you?”

“She’s average size actually.” M-21 grumbled. He walked over to the couch and plopped down right in the middle of the pair. Then he leaned his head back against it and explained, “I tried to get her to leave me alone, but she followed me home. I don’t even know where she came from.”

M-21 looked down at his lap when he felt a weight upon it. He fully expected to see either Tao or Takeo had taken it upon themselves to lie there, boyfriend privileges and all that noise, but no. Instead was a fuzzy, gray head. Amber eyes watched him curiously. The wolf really did want his attention for a reason he just couldn’t figure out.

“Aww, she liiiikes you,” Tao snickered as he offered the curious wolf his hand. She lifted her head, sniffed it, then her tail wagged slowly. He pet her head and continued to smile as he hummed, “You’re just a cute little mood aren’t you? We both liiiike him too.”

“She’s pretty smitten and I think that’s sweet,” Takeo hummed in agreement as he pat the wolf as well.

“It is not.” M-21 growled softly. As if in response to the noise the wolf turned towards him and growled as well. Then she bumped his hand gently with her snout until he pet her. He wasn’t quite sure how this evening could possibly get any more ridiculous.

“M-21 would you kindly explain to me what exactly that is which you’ve brought into my house?”

“B-Boss!” M-21 stiffened and turned to look at the frowning blond over the back of the couch. He motioned with both hands as he exclaimed, “I can explain! I didn’t actually– uhh…”

“He got himself a new girlfriend while on patrol earlier,” Tao chimed in.

“Here we thought we were enough for him, but alas,” Takeo added with a shrug and shake of his head.

“What! You two shut up!” M-21 exclaimed. He offered Frankenstein an apologetic smile and muttered, “Ignore them. The thing about the wolf is that I have no idea where she came from and she kind of, uh, won’t go away.”

Takeo tapped on his chin and muttered, “Maybe we should kiss him more. Perhaps we don’t do that enough and it caused him to stray.”

“Could be, yeah.” Tao nodded. He leaned into M-21’s personal space and smiled mischievously as he hummed, “We can do that until we’re the only ones you can possibly think about~”

“You three cut it out,” Frankenstein demanded. His tone left no room for argument, he was clearly starting to get irritated with the whole scene.

“ _Three_?” M-21 practically yelped. He’d like nothing more than to be rid of the beastie and he sure wasn’t egging the other two on. How was he being scolded along with them? Not that it was a surprise, he was always roped into their shenanigans whether he liked it or not.

Tao sat up as straight as possible and saluted as he replied, “Yes sir, dad sir!”

Frankenstein sighed and shook his head. “Don’t call me that.”

“Sir?” Tao asked with a tilt of his head. He blinked at the blond then added, “But it’s a sign of my undying respect for you.”

“You know exactly what I meant,” Frankenstein snapped. He narrowed his eyes at the grin on Tao’s face then added, “don’t make me dock your pay.”

“Fine, I’ll _behave_ ,” Tao sighed. He crossed his arms and pouted then muttered, “Boring as that is.”

“Thank you.” Frankenstein turned back towards M-21 and said, “As for the animal tracking mud across the floor, I want it gone. Be quick about it before–”

“It’s loud, Franken.”

The blond jolted in surprise at the soft voice then turned around and bowed at the waist. “Apologies Master. We didn’t mean to disturb you.”

“Tea.” Raizel hummed as he walked into the room.

“I’ve already got water on the stove.” Frankenstein nodded. “I’ll get it right away.”

M-21 and the others watched in silence as Raizel walked over to his usual spot on the couch and sat down. They all exchanged a glance, wondering if he even noticed the large, fuzzy creature in the room. Perhaps if they left now, they’d get away without further scolding from Frankenstein later.

Before anyone could move, the wolf wandered over to Raizel and inspected him. The three of them held their breaths as he turned to watch the way she sniffed him curiously. They stared at one another for a moment before she tilted her head and blinked at him, as if confused. M-21 got that, the guy was hard to read even on the best day.

None of them could’ve possibly predicted what would happen next. Raizel reached into his blazer and pulled out a pack of ramen then opened it. He offered the wolf the dry noodles to sniff. She took the offering and crunched on them without issue. Afterwards she looked back up and him and wagged her tail. The tiniest of smiles played at the edges of Raizel’s lips and he nodded at her in response.

“I suppose if we _were_ to take in a pet, a tough one such as this _would_ be the best choice,” Frankenstein said as he handed Raizel the tea he’d brought from the kitchen. He bowed his head respectfully then stepped away again.

“You can’t be serious,” M-21 said in utter disbelief. Just a moment ago the guy couldn’t wait to be rid of the animal and now this? He almost wanted to pinch himself to make sure he was awake.

Takeo smiled and pet the wolf’s tail. She turned around so he could reach her head instead. He scratched behind her ear and said, “She’s going to need a name.”

“No, she isn’t,” M-21 disagreed. “She’s a wild animal.”

Tao shrugged and replied, “You can be sometimes, too.”

“ _Tao_.” Frankenstein’s tone was a warning one, as if he was scolding a child.

“What? I didn’t mean that in a salacious way.” Tao snickered, clearly amused that was the first thing to pop into the blond’s head. He pointed his thumb at M-21 and explained, “He’s a wolf at heart too. We’ve all seen him go wild at one time or another. Usually at the cost of his shirt, which _is_ pretty hot now that you mention it.”

Frankenstein shot him a warning glare and Tao simply grinned.

“That’s true,” Takeo hummed. He watched the wolf wander over to then sniff Raizel again, probably looking for another snack. “What kind of name would suit her though?”

Raizel took a sip of his tea and shut his eyes. He removed the cup from his lips then set it on the saucer and said, “Ramen.”

Everyone was stunned into silence afterwards. As ridiculous as the suggestion was, not a single one of them had the heart to actually say so. The way Raizel had chosen a food he was quite fond of as her name was so stinking sweet it was nearly too much for them to process. M-21 had to admit that he hadn’t seen that coming. By the expressions on everyone’s faces, he wasn’t the only one.

Tao was the first to break the silence when he burst into a fit of laughter. Afterwards he took out his phone. He started to tap on the screen lightning fast as he nodded and said, “I’m ordering her a custom collar and food bowls right away.”

Frankenstein massaged his temples then finally shook his head and sighed, “If she’s going to be staying, she will need to have a bath. And the mess she’s already made must be cleaned up before the stain sets. I’ll leave all that up to you three.”

“Yes, Boss!” Tao and Takeo exclaimed simultaneously. They both turned towards M-21 and grinned.

“It’s the middle of the night,” M-21 reminded them. Sure, his night vision was excellent, and it wouldn’t bother him, but the same could not be said about Tao or Takeo. There was no way they’d give the wolf a bath in the house and risk making another gigantic mess they’d have to clean.

“This is a perfect chance to test out the new floodlights I installed in the backyard,” Tao hummed. He immediately started to type something on his laptop.

Frankenstein’s eyes widened and he asked, “New what? When did this happen?”

“Not that long after I moved in,” Tao explained. “We just haven’t needed to use them yet.

“Why does that not surprise me?” Frankenstein sighed. He waved a dismissive hand at the three of them and added, “As long as the task gets done, it doesn’t matter.”

Ramen made a sound that was a mix of a bark and a howl. Her tail started to wag immediately afterwards and both Tao and Takeo cooed then pet her again. M-21 couldn’t believe all that had happened in just the last hour. This was crazy even for them. He leaned his head back against the couch and let out an exasperated sigh. To think the night wasn’t even over yet.

“How exactly did I get roped into this mess?” M-21 complained as he turned on the hose. The lights Tao had mentioned were so bright that it practically looked like it was daytime outside. It was almost too much. Takeo gave him a thumbs up when water started to shoot out of the end he was holding and into the plastic kiddy pool. M-21 had no idea why they even had that pool in the first place. It was probably something Tao splurged on for no discernable reason at one point and it’d just been in storage until now.

“By bringing home a stray animal then making everyone fall in love with it!” Tao snickered.

“You guys did that last part all on your own,” M-21 grumbled. Ramen grunted as if in agreement with his statement. He scrunched his face then asked, “Why are we doing this if we don’t even have shampoo?”

“Water will be good enough to get her clean for now,” Tao replied. He winked then added, “Once I have a minute, I’ll do a little research and order something we can use to wash her fur. The best on the market, of course.”

M-21 narrowed his eyes at him and muttered, “Let me guess, all this at the Boss’ expense.”

A mischievous gleam shined in Tao's eyes. He shut them, grinned, and shrugged then replied, “Well it’s his house so technically isn’t that best?”

“He’s going to scold you again when he finds out,” M-21 sighed.

“ _If_ he finds out,” Tao snickered. A whimper caught their attention and they turned to look over at the kiddy pool.

Takeo was on his hands and knees motioning towards the water while Ramen whined at him. She seemed nervous about it for some reason. M-21 turned off the faucet so the water stopped flowing. Perhaps it was too noisy with it on. The wolf sniffed the water curiously then looked at Takeo and whined again.

“It’s all right, girl. Look.” Takeo leaned over the side of the pool and put his hand in the water. Tao gasped softly then immediately held up his phone to record what was happening. Takeo moved his hand around to create some waves then splashed it towards her. Ramen jumped and crouched low on her haunches. She grunted as if daring him to do that again. Takeo laughed and hummed, “Oh, you liked that, huh? Should I do it again?”

“Takeo, I’m not sure that’s such a good–” M-21 barely had a chance to speak before Takeo splashed her again and Ramen charged the long-haired man. M-21 squeezed his eyes shut but still heard the resulting splash when the two of them hit the water. He could visualize the catastrophe clear as day. Tao burst into a fit of laughter as soon as Takeo let out a surprised squeak. Clearly, he’d be no help in the situation.

Ramen waited for Takeo to sit up and wipe his face then licked him. She rolled around in the water while grunting softly in an attempt to get him to play some more. M-21 sighed then walked over to the side of the pool just as Takeo wiped his face again. He had a stern look upon his own face as he offered his boyfriend a hand. That attempt to stay grumpy did nothing to stop the little flutter in his chest when Takeo looked up at him and smiled. Ramen barked excitedly and jumped out of the pool. She ran around it twice before finally skidding to a halt right behind M-21. Or that had been the goal, anyway.

There was nothing he could do to prepare himself for seventy-five pounds of wolf crashing into the backs of his legs. M-21 fell forward in the least dignified way imaginable, arms flailing wildly included. That did nothing to prevent the inevitable. He landed in the water with a splash that made Ramen bark excitedly. She hurried back into the pool and jumped on top of him, splashing Takeo again in the process.

The little plastic pool was definitely not meant to hold two adults and a playful wolf. There was a loud crack as the side of it split open. All the water rushed out of it in a hurry. Ramen growled at the water then turned back towards M-21 so she could try and lick his face. The sound of Tao’s hysterical laughter and the fact that he hadn’t come over to try and help out was no surprise at all.

“The good news is that neither you nor Ramen are covered in dirt anymore, M,” Tao snickered as he walked around the pool, pointing his phone at the disaster scene. He paused and clicked some buttons on the screen then said, “The bad news is that any electronics you guys had in your pockets are probably ruined.”

“Good thing I left my phone inside,” Takeo mused as he stood then brushed himself off. This time he offered M-21 his hand so he could help him up instead.

“Same here,” M-21 agreed. “I forget to carry it more often than not.”

Tao blinked at the two of them then shook his head. “Those words make absolutely no sense to me. It’s like you’re speaking another language.”

M-21 shook his head vigorously and water went flying in all directions. Takeo shut his eyes as he was sprinkled with it. M-21 gave him an apologetic look afterwards. Not a moment later Ramen shook her whole-body side to side as well, splashing them both.

“You really are two of a kind,” Tao snickered.

Takeo walked over to the porch and picked up two of the towels they’d brought outside. He tossed one at M-21 then looked towards their other boyfriend and sighed, “Tao would you please stop laughing and help us dry off?”

Tao shook his head and took a step away from them. He never looked up from his phone as he said, “No way, I have to upload this video to social media immediately.”

“It might’ve gone better had you actually helped out instead of just stood there and recorded the whole thing,” M-21 grumbled as he towel-dried his hair.

“It needed to be filmed,” Tao countered. He continued to tap the screen as he hummed, “I’m also adding a version with a laugh track.”

“I had no idea wolves were so playful,” Takeo said to no one in particular. He wrung out the end of his wet hair then used a towel to dry it further. There was determination in his eyes as he said, “Next time I’ll go with a bun.”

“No next time. Nope.” M-21 declared. He frowned at the phone pointed at him.

“Keep going this is gold. Not only did the wolf you didn’t even want become a part of your family within minutes of your arrival home, it was also named without your input.” Tao laughed. He turned the phone towards himself and nodded as he added, “Ramen the wolf is gonna go viral just you wait and see!”

“Rightfully so,” Takeo mused. He knelt down and started to towel dry the wolf then snickered when she shook her whole body side to side again. He took one of Ramen’s front paws and smiled as he hummed, “Just look at how precious her paws are. Not to mention how sweet her ears are. Oh, and that adorable tail wagging so happily. What a magnificent creature.”

“Oh boy, we’ve lost him to the euphoria of pet love. All right I can handle this.” Tao walked over to Takeo and waved a hand in his face. “Earth to Takeo. We have ourselves an equally adorable wolf right over there. Remember when I superimposed wolf ears onto that collection of pictures of M?”

“You did _what_?” M-21 asked.

Tao waved a dismissive hand at him and replied, “Hush, this isn’t about you.”

M-21 narrowed his eyes at his ridiculous boyfriend. He was fairly certain that it _was_ actually about him all things considered. And yet, those two seemed to be lost in their own world again. Tao grabbed Takeo’s shoulders and shook him, which made M-21 snort then roll his eyes. Ramen tilted her head then growled at the strange sight.

“She cares about my wellbeing she’s so sweet!” Takeo exclaimed. They could practically see the hearts floating above him. “I bet she likes belly rubs!”

“So does M!” Tao exclaimed.

“That’s exactly why I thought she might!” Takeo laughed.

M-21 slapped a hand over his eyes and groaned. It was a small miracle that no one else was around right now to hear his boyfriends embarrassing him without a care in the world. He sneezed and then all eyes were on him, including the wolf by his feet.

“Did you catch a cold?” Tao asked.

“It’s your fault for not dragging him inside to dry off.” Takeo sighed.

“My fault?” Tao blinked at him.

“Yeah you could’ve done that instead of post videos,” Takeo explained. The expression on his face just dared the other man to try and argue.

Tao snorted, rolled his eyes, then held up his phone and replied, “Tell that to the thousands of hits I’ve already gotten.”

“So many? It’s barely been three minutes.” Takeo gasped. He looked at the screen and muttered, “No one ever likes my posts.”

“Your pictures are terrible,” Tao replied. He winked then added, “Show your pretty face more often and others will suddenly be very interested in your gun safety tutorials.”

Takeo’s eyes widened then he averted his gaze and mumbled, “That’s embarrassing though.”

Tao held up his right pointer and declared, “Blush like that and it will add at least 31.4% to your appeal.”

“That much? Really?” Takeo asked, wide-eyed. He’d had no idea.

Tao began to get into the statistics of his statement, but M-21 didn’t hear any of it. He was soaking wet and exhausted and his boyfriends’ little back and forth was simply too ridiculous right now. He turned around, walked over to the porch, pulled off his soaked shirt followed by his pants– one couldn’t track water through the house and expect Frankenstein to be ok with it, after all. He crumbled the clothes into a ball that’d be easy to toss into a tub or hamper. He squeezed as much water as he could out of the garments before he finally said, “I’m going to take a warm shower then pass out. Feel free to join me when you two get back to planet earth.”

“Wait! Was that an invitation to join you in the shower or just in bed? M!” Tao called after him.

M-21 didn’t respond. He headed inside to do exactly what he’d just said. If they wanted the answer they’d just have to come find out. Ramen grunted next to his feet and he swore it sounded like she was agreeing with his thought. That was pretty funny. He looked down at her and she looked up then her tail started to wag. Yeah, all right, he could admit that she was kind of cute. She’d also be decent company on his next perimeter check. Not to mention everyone seemed to smile more when she was in the room. Maybe having a pet around wouldn’t be so bad after all.

**Author's Note:**

> Theyre not enemies in the anime anymore!! Happy dayyyy!! Celebratory fic time!! I really thought itd be a much longer wait for this Im soo excited XD!!
> 
> Lmaooo don’t let Rai name the pets guys look what happens
> 
> Franken is such an exasperated dad… he suffers so much… but he loves his family ^^
> 
> The Trio’s bed sure is going to be crowded now… but also quite warm and full of loooove


End file.
